Free The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho Page B

of his secretaries (duly
     housed at another luxury hotel on the Boulevard de la Croisette, where they are not
     allowed to sleep, but must answer the phone that rings nonstop or reply to the e-mails
     flooding in from cinemas all over the world, along with the promises of increased penis
     size or multiple orgasms that manage to elude all the spam filters). Depending on how he
     nods his head, one of his two assistants will either give the person the secretarys
     address or phone number, or say that unfortunately theyre fresh out of cards.
    Yes, what is he doing at this lunch? He would be sleeping now in Los Angeles, however late he might have got home from a party. Javits knows the answer,
     but he doesnt want to accept it: hes afraid of being alone. He envies the man who arrived
     earlier and sat drinking his fruit juice, staring off into the distance, apparently
     relaxed and unconcerned about trying to look busy or important. He decides to invite him
     to join him for a drink, but notices hes no longer there.
    Just then, he feels something prick him in the back. Mosquitoes! Thats what I hate about
     beach parties. When he goes to scratch the bite, he finds a small needle. It must be some stupid prank. He looks behind him and, about two yards away, separated from him by
     various other guests, a black guy with dread- locks is laughing loudly, while a group of
     women gaze at him with mingled respect and desire.
    Hes too tired to react to this provocation. Best let the guy play the fool if thats the
     only way he can impress other people.
    Idiot.
    His two companions react to the sudden change in posture of the man they are paid to
     protect at the rate of $435 a day. One of them raises his hand to his right shoulder,
     where he keeps an automatic pistol in a holster that is entirely invisible beneath his
     jacket. The other man gets discreetly to his feet (they are at a party, after all) and
     places him- self between the black man and his boss.
    It was nothing, says Javits. Just a prank. He shows them the needle. These two idiots are
     prepared for attacks with firearms and knives, for acts of physical aggression or attempts on their bosss life. Theyre always the first
     to enter his hotel room, ready to shoot if necessary. They can sense when someones
     carrying a weapon (a common enough occurrence now in many cities of the world), and they
     dont take their eyes off that person until theyre sure hes harmless. When Javits gets into
     an elevator, he stands sandwiched between them, their two bodies forming a kind of wall.
     He has never seen them take out their guns because, if they did so, they would use them.
     They usually resolve any problem with a look or a few quiet words.
    Problems? He has never had any problems since he acquired his two friends, as if their mere presence were enough to drive away evil spirits and evil
     intentions.
    That man, one of the first people to arrive, who sat down alone at that table over there,
     says one of them. He was armed, wasnt he?
    The other man murmurs something like Possibly, but the man had left the party some time
     ago. And he had been watched the whole time because they couldnt tell what exactly he was
     looking at from behind his dark glasses.
    They relax. One of them starts answering the phone again, the other fixes his gaze on the
     Jamaican, who looks fearlessly back. Theres something strange about that man, but one
     false move on his part and hell be wearing false teeth from now on. It would all be done
     as dis- creetly as possible, on the beach, far from prying eyes, and by only one of them,
     while the other stood waiting, finger on the trigger. Some- times, though, such
     provocative acts are a ruse to get the bodyguard away from the intended victim. Theyre
     used to such tricks.
    Fine... No, its not fine. Call an ambulance. I cant move my hand.

The Winnder Stands Alone
    12:44
    
    
     PM
    What luck! The last thing she was